Non-Dairy Keylime Pie

 There are a few desserts characterized particularly by the dairy ingredients in them... like cheesecake, ice cream, pudding, and key lime pie.  For real, key lime pie is so great because of the heavenly, rich texture and subtle sweetness contributed by glorious sweetened condensed milk.  I could eat that stuff by the spoonful, crap I could eat it by the ladle-ful... if I didn't feel sick to my stomach 13 minutes later.  Therefore, the idea of attempting a non-dairy key lime pie was pretty daunting.  UNTIL my mom told me about Trader Joe's non-dairy cream cheese, which is actually super delicious (and generally speaking, I find fake dairy stuff totally repulsive.  Have you ever tried veggie cheese? Blehhh it's like trying to melt a makeup sponge on your food...).  Suddenly, a new dimension of desserts was opened to me, and this is a very happy dimension. 

Green Papya Salad

This tangy, refreshing salad is an easy introduction to Vietnamese cuisine.  With only a few simple ingredients, it is bursting with flavor.  Try it as a side, or toss some grilled shrimp on it to make it a complete meal.

Vietnamese Chili Lime Sauce

Growing up I did not have broad food horizons.  I would eat Pb&J, butter noodles, or cheese and crackers.  Not even kidding.  Lasagna was pushing it for me.  I was the kid that ordered french fries at the Mexican restaurant.  You get the idea.  Exotic food was unimaginable for me, but then I discovered the Vietnamese restaurant near my house and it changed my life.  Everything there was delicious, and they mixed so many foods together and I didn't die!  What makes everything Vietnamese so delicious is the marvelous sauces, and aromatic fresh herbs.  This chili lime sauce is a standard sauce that goes with anything from shrimp spring rolls, to green papaya salad, to char-grilled chicken and vermicelli.

Cilantro-Ranch Dressing

This is my rendition of Cafe Rio's house salad dressing- not a promised copy, but it offers similar flavor.

• 1 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup mayonaise
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 envelope hidden valley ranch dip mix
• 3 tomatillos, washed and quartered
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup salsa verde
• ~1 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed

Blast everything in a blender.  It will be a bit runny, pop it in the fridge an hour or so and allow flavors to meld and consistency to thicken.

Notes:

• You can use all mayo or all sour cream, whatever is on hand
• Tomatillos are found in the produce section, often by either bell peppers, or ginger/squash/mushrooms.  Wash your tomatillos first, they are sticky.

Yields about 2 cups.

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 2 cups water or chicken stock
  
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/3-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. In a saucepan heat the butter until melted over medium-high heat. Add rice, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
   
2. Add the water or stock, and bring to a boil.
   
3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir the lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro into the cooked rice just before serving.

Pico de Gallo

• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, or 1-2 cloves fresh garlic
  
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño. (I like to dispose of the mainly liquid center part of the tomatoes). Mix with the cilantro, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Juice the lime over the top, and then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes:

• I don't care particularly for onions, so I go light on them, feel free to use a whole onion, and mixing in some red onion as well is a nice flavor.
• I frequently double the jalepeño, or use serranos for a spicier kick.